Sept of the Looking Glass
Information The Caern of this Sept is located deep within the Richard Matthews Forest Reserve atop the Defiance Plateau, which looks immediately down over the Crystal Springs neighborhoods of Diamond Valley, Highcliff, and Lyons. While some sky scrapers manage enough height to peer over the sheer cliff face of the plateau, no eyes can penetrate the dense canopy of the forest, nor the rocky terrain that shields much of the plateau from view. The Sept In spite of the Sept's currently small population, Looking Glass has a long and eventful history, so local tradition tends to run strong. All tribes are welcome within its borders, though the Uktena and Gaians tend to monopolize leadership positions. This affords the Sept at large a relatively liberal mind with regards to humans, the Litany, and the other changing breeds. The rule of thumb remains, however: Don't push your luck. The Bawn The Forest Reserve is broken into three distinct parts by the Sept: The Outer Bawn, The Inner Bawn, and the Rear Bawn. While there are traditional guardians for each of these areas, the bawn is ultimately neutral ground for all the tribes provided no area is claimed as territory. Pack or tribe territory may not be claimed from the Inner Bawn, but the other areas are fair game. ; The Outer Bawn (SFR #106, EFR #103) : Consists of the Eastern and Southern Forest Reserve. This is the area most traversed by visitors to the Forest Reserve. Campgrounds and hiking trails are plentiful in this region, particularly towards the edge of the plateau near the high rises. Traditionally, the Children of Gaia, foresty Bone Gnawers, and visiting Glass Walkers tend to the Outer Bawn and dissuade visitors from exploring further. ; The Inner Bawn (NFR #112, WFR #109) : Consists of the Northern and Western Forest Reserve. This area is very wild, and usually only visited by the most enthusiastic of campers and hikers. Traditionally, the Get of Fenris, Red Talons, and Black Furies would patrol this area and chase intruders back towards the Outer Bawn. ; The Rear Bawn (Unclaimed Wilderness #165) : All of the unprotected, but vastly unexplored and lonely territory behind the plateau and stretching west towards Glenwood Springs and north towards the higher mountains. Traditionally, the Wendigo, Uktena, and Stargazers would patrol this area. Geography varies from meadows to forests and high mountains. The Caern The Looking Glass Spring is a large, bubbling mineral hot spring that feeds Riddle Creek, and thus, Riddle Falls. The spring itself is oddly clear despite its mineral nature, and often used for divination. Soaking in the waters is a pleasant, comfortable experience that soothes all aches and pains, and given time, can erase all recent wounds despite their severity. There are many tales of limbs regrowing in hours, and terrible battle scars dissolving in minutes. Sadly, the spring has no effect on the dead, no matter how recent their passing. It is the right of all Sept Members to soak in the spring whenever they wish, within reason. Tainted characters are expressly forbidden from using the Caern, and risk being expunged violently by Panlong, who takes his duties very seriously. *System: Bashing damage is healed at one bashing/minute. Lethal damage heals at one lethal/ten minutes. Aggravated damage heals at one damage/hour. Keep in mind that the glory loss for healing a battle scar applies as normal. The difficulty of any divination which uses the Caern spring as a medium is reduced by 2, and the likelihood of clear, understandable messages is much higher. Finally, the difficulty to pierce the gauntlet is 2. Panlong The current guardian of the Caern and patron spirit of the Sept is Panlong, an ancient Chinese water dragon of Uktena's brood. This spirit is very tied to the Caern, having been around since the 40s, and so is usually nearby in some form or another. Old as he is, the spirit recognizes and appreciates pure breeding, though any Garou that shows the proper respect and humility in front of the dragon will quickly earn his approval. Panlong is generally ambivalent towards tribe or breed, though he does tend to warm more quickly towards the Uktena, Silver Fangs, Stargazers, and anyone with Asian (particularly Chinese) ancestry. Violence in the Caern does not please Panlong, who insists the place should be treated with respect and kept peaceful to maintain the place's clean energy. Spirits of peace and healing tend to scatter when Rage erupts, which irritates the dragon. Ultimately, however, Panlong leaves judging and punishment up to the Garou, and only takes action himself when he feels the Caern is in imminent peril. Still, the dragon has a long memory, and will not easily forget or forgive those that soil the place (outside of healing wounds). Panlong's form is relatively stable for a fluid spirit, and he appears as the coiled, horned dragon of Eastern fame. His scales are a deep blue-gray, but shimmer with iridescence. His horns and teeth tend towards a pearly color, as does the upright mane of scales that begins at his head and ends at the tip of his feathery tail. Panlong has four legs, each with five clawed 'fingers' that are quite capable of gripping intruders and tossing them unceremoniously away from the Caern. If you would like to have an audience with the Great Eastern Dragon of Sublime Austerity (he does enjoy creative titles), please contact a wizard. Recent History *See the Timeline for a general overview. *See the Sept Timeline for recent happenings. Category:Septs